My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Shannon Stewart ’

Two rain delays, and the Blue Jays’ excellent use of their bullpen, help to defeat the Phils’ in the final game of their three games interleague play series, 6-5. The lost put the Phillies in a tie for second place with the New York Mets, both teams now a full game behind the Florida Marlins, as the Mets would win their game with the New York Yankees. The Phils start the game off by taking a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the year, off of Blue Jays’ starter, Shaun Marcum, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who has gotten on base earlier with a single, while Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick pitched a 1-2-3 first inning on twelve pitches. The two teams would then go through a rain delay which would last over two hours before resuming play. When it does, both starters would be remove by their teams, with the Phils using Chad Durbin in place of Kendrick, while the Blue Jays would counter with Shawn Camp. Both teams are then kept off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Phils’ score their third run of the ballgame on a RBI single by Carlos Ruiz, scoring Geoff Jenkins, who has also singled. But the Phils would then miss an opportunity to break the game wide open, as, with the bases loaded and two outs, Camp would get out of the inning by getting Jayson Werth to fly out. Then things would go from bad to worst, as Durbin, with two on and two outs, would give up a pitch hit, three-runs home run to Lyle Overbay, his second home run of the year, scoring Rod Barajas, who has earlier doubled, the Blue Jays’ first hit of the game, and Marco Scutaro, who has walked, tying the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the fourth, the Phils would threaten to retake the lead, as they loaded up the bases again, this time with one out, against Blue Jays’ reliever Brian Tallet. Tallet is replaced by Jason Frasor, who is able to end the Phils’ threat by getting Pedro Feliz to pop up and Ruiz to ground out. In the top of the fifth, the Blue Jays’ would take the lead, as they score three runs off of Rudy Seanez. The first two runs are knocked in on a RBI double by Shannon Stewart, scoring Aaron Hills, who has also doubled, and Matt Stairs, who has just been intenionally walked, giving the Blue Jays a 5-3 lead. Barajas would then single in Stewart, making it 6-3 Blue Jays. The Phils would get a run back in the bottom of the sixth, as Chase Utley doubles in Rollins, who has gotten on base earlier with a walk. After Howard walks, the game is once again delayed by rain. After play resumes again, the Blue Jays would replace Jesse Carlson, who has just replaced Frasor, with Cy Young award winner Ray Halladay, to face Pat Burrell. Halladay would end the threat by getting Burrell to pop up, leaving the score, 6-4 Blue Jays. The Phils would threathen for one last time in the ninth, when, with two outs, Pat Burrell would hit his tenth home run of the year, a solo shot off of B.J. Ryan, making it a 6-5 ballgame. Chris Coste would then double, putting the tying run in scoring position, as Eric Bruntlett comes up to pitch hit. Unfortunately, after fouling off several pitches, Ryan would get Bruntlett to strike out swinging, ending the ballgame, as he records his ninth save.

Kyle Kendrick, the Phils’ starter, would only go one inning because of the two hours plus rain delay, facing only three hitters as he gives up no runs on no hits. Chad Durbin would go four innings, giving up three earned runs on two hits, one of which was a pitch hit home run. Rudy Seanez, the Phils’ losing pitcher, would go one inning, giving up three earned runs on three hits. His record is now 2-3, while his ERA rises up to 2.89. J.C. Romero would pitch one inning, giving up no runs on no hits. Clay Condrey would also go an inning, giving up no runs on one hit. Brad Lidge would pitch one inning, giving up no runs on no hits. Blue Jays’s starter, Shaun Marcum, like Kendrick, would only go one inning because of the long rain delay, giving up two earned runs on two hits, one of which was Ryan Howard’s home run. Shawn Camp would then pitch three innings, giving up an earned run on four hits. Brian Tallet would only go a third of an inning, giving up no runs on three hits. Jason Frasor, the Blue Jays’ winning pitcher, would go an inning and a third, giving up an earned run on no hits. Jesse Carlson would face just two batters, giving up no runs on a hit and a walk. Roy Halladay would pitch two and one-thirds innings, giving up no runs on one hits. B.J. Ryan would go an inning, giving up one earned run on two hits, as he records his ninth save of the years.

The Phils’ offense, although out hitting the Blue Jays’ thirteen hits to six, would twice leave the bases loaded, once with less than two men outs, whereby one hit at either time could’ve help them put the game out of reach. Instead, momentum shifted over to the Blue Jays, who would get to both Durbin and Seanez for their six runs in the fifth and sixth innings, thus ballooning both relievers ERAs in the process.

With the lost of their Interleague play series with the Blue Jays (23-23, 4th American League East), the Phillies (24-21) split their six games home stand, 3-3. They will now travel to Washington, D.C. to start a two cities, seven games, road trip to Washington and Houston. Their first game will be played tonight in D.C. in the Nationals’ (19-26) new ballpark, Nationals Park. The game will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starting pitcher will be Brett Myers (2-4, 5.91), who is coming off of his worst outing of the season, as he would go only four and one-thirds innings against the Braves on May 14, giving up eight runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits, in the Phils’ 8-6 lost. He will be looking to regain his stuff as he faces the Nationals for the 28th time in his long career. In his 27 previous starts against them, including when the Nationals were the Montreal Expos, he is 7-7 lifetime, with a 4.91 ERA. The Nationals will oppose him with Tim Reddings (5-3. 3.55), who is coming off a win against the Mets on May 14, where he pitched six solid innings, giving up only an earned run on two hits, in the Nationals’ 5-3 victory. He will be trying for his sixth win of the season.

In spite of the lost, the Phillies are still trailing the Marlins by a game, as the fish lost their game to the Kansas City Royals, 9-3. The Phils are once again in a technical tie for second place with the New York Mets, .004 percentage points behind them, as the Mets once again defeated the New York Yankees, 11-2. They are a game ahead of the Braves, who have beaten the Oakland Athletics, 5-2. While the Phils play the last place Nationals tonight, the Marlins, the Mets and the Braves will all have the day off, giving the Phils a chance to gain a half game on the Marlins with a victory tonight, if Myers can get his act together and if the offense can get a hit when its needed.

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